Striving for More

“Three things happened. I decided I wanted to do something else, but I wasn’t sure what. When I started looking, a lot of roles preferred an MBA, and I didn’t want that to be a reason I wasn’t considered for a job. Finally, Dean Rodriguez had been my professor at A&M. He was my mentor, encouraged me to pursue investment banking and helped me get an internship with JP Morgan, which led to a full-time job. When I heard that he was going to be the new dean, I thought maybe the time was right to think about going back to get my MBA.”

The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Adrienne Mangual grew up in Lufkin, Texas, was the first in her family to graduate from college and this spring will be the first in her immediate family to earn a graduate degree. Following a 10-year career in investment banking and a five- year career in corporate finance at an oilfield service company, she knew she wanted to do something more when she applied for the EMBA program. She left her job as assistant treasurer and started the EMBA program just before Hurricane Harvey. With a four-year-old and a one-year-old at home, she decided to spend the first year of her transition at home with her kids. The following year she cast a wide net in search for her next role with a focus outside of traditional finance roles. Adrienne is now executive director of strategy and planning for Prime Communications, the largest AT&T authorized retailer in the U.S. In her role, reporting to the CEO and founder, she leads various strategic projects for the company.